will hot paraffin work

[Norris Randall]

I've just received a gift of 4 nice pieces of "black cherry" and a couple of large cross sections of maple.
All have been split down the middle.
Now the question. I have sealed all ends with melted paraffin.
Is this a good way to control the drying process?

[John Keeton]

Norris, I am too new to this game to know, although I think some folks do use wax. I have only used Anchorseal, but the one concern I think I would have would be the lack of elasticity to the wax. If the wood does move, the wax probably will crack creating a loss of seal.

[Norris Randall]

Thanks John, I'll watch for cracks and if they appear I might try waving the torch over the cracks to see if it will melt and run back into the openings enough to keep the seal intact.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Hot wax does work well, melted in an electric skillet allows dipping, but I found green wood sealer(like Anchorseal) to be less messy and safer than a hot wax job!

[David E Keller]

Although I've not tried wax, the knock I've heard against pure wax is that it can lift away from the surface of the wood leaving it unprotected.

[Paul Williams]

I have used hot wax. Most were OK, but a few cracked or had the wax separate and then crack. The cracked ones all had thick coats of wax, so the idea that it might not be flexible enough might have some merit.

[Prashun Patel]

I've been using paraffin with mineral spirits to make an anchorseal type paint that is the consistency of pudding. I think it might be beneficial to thin it and paint it on like this. The reason is that you'll get a thinner final coat that doesn't peel off so readily. Further, the goal is to slow down drying. A thick coat of pure paraffin might retard it a little too much.

I've done about 30 blanks with this kind of paint, and I haven't had a single crack.

[Dennis Puskar]

I'll second the paraffin and mineral spirits (no problems)

[Sid Matheny]

I have used it a lot and some did crack. Not sure if it was the paraffin had anything to do with the cracking or not. I think you will get some cracks no matter what you use to seal the ends.

Sid

[Jon McElwain]

One more for the wax plus mineral spirits. Before I learned the mineral spirits trick, I found that heating the end grain with a blow dryer or heat gun just to warm the surface prior to wax application helped keep it from lifting off later. Also, rough cuts absorb better than smooth cuts which also helps keep the wax from lifting off. I only use anchorseal now - much easier than wax.

[Norm Zax]

Ive been sealing with candle/paraffin wax for years. Few blanks had the wax seperate and its usually a combination of too thick a layer and the type of wood (some shrink more than others). Also, I think the heat of the wax has some effect - if it looks milky or nearly white, it means it was applied too cold. Hotter wax, and thin layers come out almost clear and hold on longer!
I use a natural brush (synthetic ones melt) and a relatively large pan which allows me to actually dunk blanks up to 8 inches in diameter about half an inch in.
small note: You can seal the endgrain with anything. The humidity will eventually leave through the sides, very slowly, which is the purpose. Full sealing (plastic wrap or thick wax) will cause some molding, which may be not too bad either.
caution: melting wax over an open fire (like I do) is dangerous. The fumes may ignite. Make sure the liquid level is at least one inch below the edge and do not tilt or rock while fire is on.

[bob edwards]

I haven't used candle/paraffin wax but have used a lot of bee's wax. I had a friend who had hives so had a good quantity. The application I found worked the best was to "write" on the end grain as if I were using a large Crayola. I did this while applying a heat gun. The heat dried and opened the grain slightly and allowed the melted wax to penetrate 1/8 to 1/4 inch. This method of "soaking the wax in" has always worked for me.
Bob Edwards, San Antonio

[Jim Burr]

I've had great results with plain old latex paint. Go to the paint dept at the box store of your choice. They always have cans of premix that people ordered and never picked up. I'm using white at the moment, but cans of green, purple and orange are on the shelf. Usually they'll toss a gallon my way for 5 bucks.

[Prashun Patel]

Mixing it with the right amt of mineral spirits will create a substance that stays liquid at room temp. Actually, the mixture is mostly MS with not too much wax. You have to heat the mixture once to get it homogenous but after that it'll stay liquid. Over time, it slowly separate, but stirring will re-emulsify it all.

I have not had the best luck with latex paint. I got cracking.

The other key to minimizing cracking is to keep the blanks in a cool place with not so much air flow. A basement floor is ideal.

[Jim King]

Here in the Amazon the Chinese seal the wood with parafin from melted candles. It must work as they have been exporting this way by container loads for years. Once it is melted they mix it with Deisel fuel.